Little Unit to start on five years' rest

With nearly five years elapsed since his last official Minor League start, having to wait one more day due to a rainout must seem like nothing to Ryan Anderson.

The former Seattle Mariners top prospect will make his first official start since September 4, 2000, when he takes the mound for the Brevard County Manatees in the opener of Thursday night's double header against the Daytona Cubs in Viera, Fla. His scheduled start on Wednesday was postponed due to heavy rain.

Anderson was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round of the 1997 draft after throwing three no-hitters and striking out 133 of the 154 batters he faced as a senior at Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Mich. The 6-foot-10 left-hander was seen as a near carbon copy of Randy Johnson, who was then the Mariners' ace.

Anderson lived up to his "Little Unit" moniker in his first three Minor League seasons, striking out an average of nearly 12 batters per game, before having his career halted by a series of major shoulder surgeries.

The overpowering southpaw had been pegged for a late-season call-up from Triple-A Tacoma in 2000, but four days after his 21st birthday, he felt discomfort in his shoulder after striking out a season-high 13 batters against Calgary. After a month on the disabled list, Anderson made a start against Salt Lake City on September 4, but was pulled after two innings, never to return, until now.

The Mariners finally released their prized prospect this April after he missed the 2001-2004 seasons. Anderson was pitching for the Surprise Fightin' Falcons of the independent Golden Baseball League when the Milwaukee Brewers signed him to a Minor League contract in May and assigned him to Brevard County in the Florida State League.

Anderson, now 25, made his first appearance for the Manatees in a "piggyback" role on May 26 against Lakeland, striking out two in a scoreless first inning before giving way to starter Ryan Costello.